Sheffield Town Hall: Restoration of 'Victorian masterpiece' could cost almost half-a-billion pounds
Sheffield City Council has unveiled plans to restore the town hall that could hit £450m.
The authority says the 127-year-old building urgently needs major repairs and is at ‘significant risk of closure’.
Opened by Queen Victoria in 1897, it is one of only two Grade 1 listed buildings in the city centre.
Officials say it is dilapidated, underused, the heating system is more than 70 years old and the building is ‘no longer fit for purpose’.
Preserving it would be one of the most expensive projects ever undertaken, with early estimates ranging from £340m to £450m.
The council’s recently-completed Heart of the City II scheme cost £470m, with £376m from the taxpayer.
It delivered two office blocks, shops in new and restored buildings from Pinstone Street to Barker’s Pool, a new food hall, upmarket hotel behind a Victorian facade, pocket park, events space, a block of flats and Leah’s Yard, a restoration of mesters’ workshops on Cambridge Street.
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The authority says it has to spend £700,000 a year on repairs to the town hall just to keep it open. A new report argues restoration could be more cost-effective in the long term.
Funding could come from borrowing, selling buildings including the Moorfoot office, grants from the Heritage Lottery Fund and elsewhere, and ‘maximising income generation through events’.
The town hall has long been popular for weddings.
Councillor Janet Ridler, Sheffield City Council’s heritage champion, said the Victorian masterpiece was of unique importance.
She added: “It’s a building that has welcomed royalty and heads of state and survived two world wars.
“It symbolises Sheffield’s rich history, whilst serving as the democratic centre of the city. For thousands of people, it holds a special significance: as the place where they got married, where they registered the birth of their children, or where they gathered to celebrate a sporting triumph whilst looking up at the famous balcony.
“As one of only two Grade I listed buildings in the city centre, the other being Sheffield Cathedral, the Town Hall remains as important a building now as it was in 1897 when Queen Victoria officially opened it.
“This restoration project will ensure that this legacy will continue and that it will remain at the very heart of Sheffield life for decades to come.”
The next steps will include creating concept designs and a public consultation.
They will be considered at a strategy and resources committee meeting at the town hall at 2pm on Wednesday, December 10.